I was driving home two weeks ago, working my way though a bewildering maze of street festivals separating me from my home.

St-Laurent Blvd. was closed for 11 days for a street fair from Sherbrooke St. to Mont-Royal Ave.

Mont-Royal was closed for three kilometres for a summer-long street fest.

Nearby, Rachel Ave. was mobbed by a big Portuguese festival where families danced, while munching on bifana sandwiches.

Unsure how to get home, I consulted Google Maps, which replied:

“HA! HA! You’ve got to be kidding. No way you’re getting there by car.”

OK, I’m exaggerating, but it almost seems possible as our city explodes with summer festivals and closed streets, while a hundred traffic jams bloom.

But I’m not complaining, just admiring the beautiful chaos that I love about this city every summer.

What chaos?

The meandering mobs: In Montreal, we shut down streets for summer as casually as other cities shut their street lights each morning.

If you could watch from overhead, you’d see a vast citywide river of humanity streaming through never-ending street festivals.

Everyone weaves in and out of each other’s way on foot, bike, e-scooter e-bike, hoverboard, baby stroller and the occasional unicycle. All while skirting orange cones that have been there for so many years they have permanent........

© Montreal Gazette